Written by Pete Prisco at CBSSports.com
Where are all the quarterbacks?
That’s a question being asked a lot these days in the NFL, as the franchise passers that star on Sundays get up in years, guys like Tom Brady and Drew Brees, and the younger generation, including this year’s draft class, comes into the league with major questions.
So, again, where are the quarterbacks?
“Next year’s draft,” one NFL personnel director said. “Next year’s draft is loaded.”
With less than a month to go before the 2017 NFL Draft, evaluators desperate for quarterback help are already peeking ahead to next year’s class. It could be a top heavy, which this year’s class isn’t. By top heavy, I mean franchise-quarterback heavy.
The names being mentioned are Southern California’s Sam Darnold, UCLA’s Josh Rosen and Wyoming’s Josh Allen, who some scouts are already saying is the next John Elway. There are several others, like Washington’s Jake Browning, who could also play into the top quarterback argument.
But that group does nothing now for the quarterback-needy teams like the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans and New York Jets. That’s why they prepare for the draft with an eye on potentially making a veteran move — maybe the Browns trading for Jimmy Garoppolo or the Texans getting Tony Romo — while also spending a lot of time evaluating this year’s class.
As one AFC personnel man said, “It’s just not a great class.”
Take the Browns. It’s unfair to think coach Hue Jackson can win consistently with what he has had at quarterback and what he has on the roster right now. If the season started today, the Browns would start either Cody Kessler or Brock Osweiler — yes, he’s still on the roster.
Now you wonder why we ask the question: Where are the quarterbacks?
It’s the same in Houston, where the Texans might make a move for Romo, but if not they will likely start the season with Tom Savage, who has two career starts and isn’t exactly considered a franchise passer for the long haul — at least as of right now.
“Everybody wants a quarterback, but you have to understand you have to have the right guy,” Jackson said here at the league meetings. “You can’t force it. You force it and you might create a different kind of problem.”
“We can’t rush just because we have a need at the position,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said.
Evaluating quarterbacks has always been a tricky exercise. It’s hard to get inside the man’s head, let alone try to translate the college skills to the NFL game. It’s even harder now because of the way the college game is played.
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